Carl Jung and the Shadow: An Introduction

By iEric2010

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The Jungian Shadow: Its Phenomenology, Detection and
Conscious Integration

Psychiatrist Carl Jung’s construct of the shadow,
comprised of the denied aspects of the self (1959, p. 20), conceals within
itself the golden key not only to understanding the agency by which wars and
feuds of all kinds tend to start, but the very solution to preventing their
emergence in the first place. Such conflicts develop out of constricted, narrow
views, and Jung claimed the shadow itself was the result of a narrow
identification with the persona—the social mask, at the expense of the
unattended aspects of the self (Bennett, 1966, p. 117).

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As individual attention is habitually and excessively
focused on the façade of the persona, the deeper, neglected aspects of the
personality continually sabotage the individual’s conscious intentions (Jung,
1959, p. 123). In order to account for these frustrations, while also avoiding
their true source, the shadow is conveniently projected onto other people
(Bennett, 1966, p. 119), resulting in what can often be perceived as
threatening and unfriendly circumstances (Wilber, 1979, p. 82). Whether the
shadow manifests as a war protester who covertly bombs public buildings, a
novice guitarist who practically deifies Eddie Van Halen, or as a pro-life
extremist who assassinates abortionists, it always represents the very
qualities that the persona claims to lack. As such, attentive detection and
conscious integration of the shadow would seem to offer a genuine solution to
taming the darker aspects of humanity, as well as harnessing its highest
potentials, especially if willingly practiced by a growing percentage of the
world population.

This essay explores a first-person, phenomenological
approach to detecting and integrating the shadow, as well as a third-person,
structural view of development that is believed to occur as a result of shadow
integration. Drawing from both first-person experience and logical argument,
based upon insights in both transpersonal psychology and Buddhist mindfulness
practice, it is theorized that the cultivation of compassionate yet intentional
awareness is capable not only of detecting the presence of the shadow, but also
of gently confronting and integrating it into the personality in a manner which
develops a more deeply attuned sense of self with the world at large, with no
inherent need to deny any aspects of the self and therefore no need to project
any of these aspects outside of the experienced self.

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The
Phenomenology of Shadow Recognition

The first sign of shadow projection appears as a strong
emotional reaction to anyone or anything in the environment (Wilber, 1979, p.
94). More precisely, the first-person experience of such affect feels visceral,
impulsive and automatic, more like an unconscious reflex than a conscious,
intentional response (Bennett, 1966, p. 119). The instinctive reflex arising
out of such affect then projects the source of the feeling outwardly onto some
other person, thing or situation, often in the form of emotionally pungent
criticism and blame (1966, p. 119). It is this very tendency, in fact, which
can serve as the prime indicator that the shadow is in play. By becoming
mindfully aware of the people to whom the persona is positively or negatively
attracted, in addition to the outwardly focused perceptions which accompany
such attraction, it is possible to recognize the shadow (Welwood, 200, p. 208).

Surprisingly, the Christian New Testament may offer
subtle insights into how the shadow can be detected and integrated. Jesus,
during his famous sermon on the mount, asks,"Why do you
notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam
in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter
from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye” (Matthew 7: 3 – 4, New
American Bible)? His aim here appears to be to encourage his disciples to
investigate their own first-person experience during the act of fault-finding.
His emphasis is on inquiring into why
and how such criticism arises,
particularly on how its very development emanates from a failure to acknowledge much greater defects within themselves.

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In order to help his audience more clearly see how their pointed
criticism originates from an over-identification with the persona, he speaks
directly to the persona and says, “You hypocrite remove the wooden beam from your eye
first; then you will see clearly to
remove the splinter from your brother's eye” (Matthew 7: 5, New American
Bible). Interestingly, the Greek root used here, of which hypocrite is a transliteration, refers to an actor, one who plays a role. Similarly, Jung’s concept of the
persona refers exclusively to the “mask of the actor” (Jung, 1959, p. 20).
Additionally, Jesus suggests that two distinct qualities will emerge as a
result of becoming more aware of the inner world, of mindfully attending to the
shadow: 1) clarity of perception; and 2) a peaceful disposition that is
motivated to help and serve others rather than to find fault and blame.

Integrating the Shadow through Conscious Awareness

“I looked, and
looked, and this I came to see:

That what I thought
was you and you,

Was really me and me” (Wilber, 1979, p. 95).

As is by
now evident, the contents of projection are the secret characteristics—the
‘its’—which the persona refuses to acknowledge. And ending this externalization
of the personal contents of consciousness is what Jung’s former mentor, Freud,
was pointing to when he proclaimed, “where id was, there ego shall be” (Freud,
1965). Here Freud is literally saying, "Where it was, I shall come to be.” Just as Ged, the
lead character in LeGuin’s A Wizard of
Earthsea, purposely faces and intimately embraces his own formerly
destructive shadow (1975), so also is the shadow integrated by consciously
addressing the persona with its own antithesis (Wilber, 1979, p. 100), so that
what was formerly a problematic ‘it’ now becomes an integral part of the ‘I’,
where it may now bestow its once hidden wealth upon the experience of the
personality (Jung, 1959, p. 270).

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As previously mentioned, shadow
projection is accompanied by the presence of pronounced affect (Jung, 1959, p.
38), which in turn can act as the very signal for a return to, and cultivation
of, mindfulness. By deliberately diving into the felt experience of this
affect, while simultaneously acknowledging its source to be interior and not
exterior to the self, it is possible to come face to face with the projected
contents of the personal unconscious.

The first two of the Four Noble
Truths of Buddhism state that: 1) suffering is the basic state of the human
condition; and 2) suffering arises from desire. By bringing a greater depth of
conscious awareness into the roots of the affect—the roots of the suffering, so
to speak, it is possible to become aware of the underlying desire—the concealed
attachment—from which the strong affect is emanating. Viewed from this
perspective, the strong affect which accompanies shadow projection, usually associated
with a felt tension or contraction within the body, is seen as a form of
suffering. And this contraction, in the Buddhist view, is the result of a
desire that is presently being either repressed (i.e., resisted) or indulged (i.e., deeply
identified with). However, by diving into the depths of the attachment with
compassionate, nonjudgmental yet intentional awareness, it is possible to
eventually release the desire in an inward posture of kindness toward oneself
(Ladner, 2004, p. 68), thus relieving the suffering.

Though space does not allow for a
further elaboration of what this process of mindfulness entails, it is the
assertion of this essay that the same mindful process by which desires are said
to be compassionately released within the context of Buddhist mindfulness
practice, is the very same process by which the personal shadow can be
benevolently confronted and assimilated into the experience of the self.

As Jung indicated, once the shadow
has been adequately befriended and integrated into the personality, development
of the experienced self expands and unfolds (Jung, 1959, p. 340). Developmental
theorist Susanne Cook-Greuter’s model of ego development, interestingly, seems
to mirror Jung’s sentiments, though her conception of ego differs slightly from
Jung’s. While the stages of development in the first two-thirds of her model
depict the ego as differentiating itself in the direction of greater levels of
autonomy, the last third of her stage-model—the postconventional stages of
development—views the ego as growing toward higher levels of unity and
integration with the ground of being itself (Cook-Greuter, 2004, p. 5). This
higher integration involves a progressive dissolution of subject-object
duality, so that all opposites are eventually absorbed and embraced (2004, p.
28). The shadow, of course, qualifies as one of the opposites to be enfolded
into the unified ego, making its detection and integration absolutely
essential, in this view, to human development toward more encompassing levels
of wholeness and wellbeing (2004, p. 25).

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Cook-Greuter’s highest stage of
development—the Unitive Stage—reflects a profound level of self-acceptance, so
much so that there is now no unconscious need to escape what is, and therefore
no need to project the shadow upon anyone or anything else (2004, p. 33). As
such, a newfound simplicity and gracefulness of expression emerges in this
stage as the result of unifying the once disparate aspects of the self with the
rest of the world (2004, p. 33).

Wonderful clarity and I look forward to reding more of your work. Thank you :)

Davodevo 4 years ago

Quite enlightening, I will be attempting to apply this to mine own identified areas or tension and stress to see if a shadow might be found lurking nearbye.

Sheila Wilson 4 years ago from Pennsylvania

Very insightful hub. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mike 4 years ago

What a wonderful Hub Eric. I've learned a lot and remembered stuff I thought I had forgotten.

DynamicS 4 years ago from Toronto, Canada

iEric2010, I really like this post. Although I've not studied Jung in depth, I'm fascinated by his theories. It seems that on the whole we have not mastered, at least most of humanity has not mastered how to integrate the shadow into our persona, otherwise like you propose we would not see as many conflicts/wars as we've seen over history. Another interesting and baffling phenonomen is religious wars. This duality of good versus evil seems pervasive. I wonder if Jung saw any solution to this?

Thanks for writing with such clarity and insight on a topic that is so cerebral. Thanks for the references, I'll be checking out some of the books.

I am definitely a fan!

lorlie6 4 years ago from Bishop, Ca Level 1 Commenter

Congratulations on your nomination! I am an avid follower of Jung and this hub shows quite a command of his thought.

Thanks so much for the read!

dashingclaire 4 years ago from United States

Very thought and knowledge seeking hub!

SpiritMom 4 years ago from New York

Jung's work on the shadow is truly transcendent. Your hub did justice to it. Much of Joseph Campbell's work rests on Jung's foundations showing us that much of the things we project outward are inward events seeking resolution.

Glenda Klint 4 years ago

I really enjoy your work. I love the different angles and perspectives you bring together. I have read Cook-Greuter before and am thankful to know their is a website I can futher explore this work.

Gerry Hiles 4 years ago from Evanston, South Australia

If I HAD to pick two people to nominate as the epitome of symbolizing the best possible about our species, then I would HAVE to pick Socrates and Carl Jung ... though I am struggling to exclude Rene Descartes, David Hume and numbers of other very rare members of our generally very stupid species.

The insights of Socrates/Plato and Jung have literally saved my life.

Gerry Hiles 4 years ago from Evanston, South Australia

The most valuable things from Jung, for me have been "introversion-extraversion", "projection"(ascription) and the wrap-up and profound "Psychology of the Transference".

Joyus Crynoid 4 years ago from Eden

I really like this hub. If only more of us would get to know our shadows... To quote an exchange between Yoda and Luke Skywalker, as Luke is about to enter a cave (from Star Wars, Episode 5):

Yoda: "That place…is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go."

Luke: "What's in there?"

Yoda: "Only what you take with you."

Eric - Meditation Research 4 years ago

I love the Star Wars reference. Thanks!

Virginia.Routh 4 years ago

I posted a comment about the article about a week ago and it hasn't appeared on the page. Is there a reason for this?

Eric Thompson - Binaural Waves 4 years ago

Hi Virginia,

I have no idea why a comment of yours was not posted last week, and I apologize for any problems. As far as I am aware, this is the first notice of a comment I have received from you, as HubPages sends me notices of every comment that is placed here. In fact, I've always welcomed all comments and have never deleted any comments. Please feel free to re-type the original comment you intended to publish last week. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience:) ~ ET

Virginia.Routh 4 years ago

Thanks for your reply. Maybe I didn't push the right button! My comment was about shadow : I do not think you distinguish between personal and archetypal, a distinction which means a lot to me. The personal shadow relates to the individual, contains repressed material, everything the person does not acknowledge about themselves (not exclusively negative) and can be integrated and made conscious. Often it is through projection of the personal shadow that the contents become conscious. Why am I so irritated by X? Why do I put Y on a pedestal The archetypal shadow is of a different order altogether. It cannot be made conscious but we can be dimly aware of it. It is a terrifying, threatening presence, the stuff of deep depression, psychopathy and destructiveness. It is part of all of us, as all archetypes are, and certainly is projected onto others ie terrorists, murderers, rapists etc. But we can only be dimly aware of it in ourselves.

ancientraveneapoe@yahoo.com 3 years ago

THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN HAVE BEEN DERIDED FOR READING CARL JUNG BY VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS CLAIMING TO HAVE THE "TRUTH"

I AM DISABLED & IT SURPRISES ME HOW FEW PEOPLE EVEN SLOW DOWN

WHEN I CROSS THE STREET I LIVE ON,HOWEVER MY OWN DARK SIDE

WISHES THEM BAD AT TIMES, FOR NOT CARING, AND THEN CHIDE MYSELF "THE SHADOW" IS THERE EVEN WHEN I LEAST EXPECT IT.

I HOPE YOU KEEP ON WRITING. BECAUSE YOU ARE A LIGHT IN A DARK WORLD. THANK YOU AGAIN.

Spencer 3 years ago

Hey there is a call of duty commentator on youtube with this shadow that he made a series on it and some of his dream. I think it's worth a glance. The name is "Drift0r" on youtube and the series is the most epic dream part 1. be warned this is a long series and it requires attention and patience to understand

Joan sarcauga 2 years ago

hi everyone...............

mattdigiulio 2 years ago

Great hub, and this is a great example of what hubpages is about and like for those coming here from google or elsewhere. I learned alot from this, thank you.

best, Matt d.

EsmeSanBona 2 years ago from Macon

This was an awesome article. I linked to it in my Jung articles--much better job than I did! Great stuff, voted up!

TJ 2 years ago

Self actualisation cannot happen unless you confront and befriend your shadow. It is very apt that both Buddhism and Christianity have been used to tame the dark side of humanity because they have truly resolved my personal dilemmas with the deeper darker aspects of self to evolve with clarity and compassion. Thank you for this article, people need to know these aspects......when they are ready.

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